George Zimmerman jurors’ names released to public

posted at 7:01 pm on April 5, 2014 by Jazz Shaw

This one immediately earns the tag of what could possibly go wrong? It seems that in Florida, it is common for the names of jurors to be released to the public once the trial is over. (Some of you lawyers in the crowd can help out by letting us know how common this is.) In cases where there might be substantial danger to the jurors or their families because of “emotions running high in the community”, that release may be delayed for a time, but not indefinitely. There was such a delay regarding the case of George Zimmerman in the Sunshine State, but now the clock has run out.

The names of the six-member jury panel that acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin have been made public for the first time, after a new court order, records show.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, who had previously ordered the jurors’ identifying information be kept confidential, granted access to the names in a ruling March 21.

Zimmerman’s defense asked the judge in June to keep the names secret until six months after the verdict. The judge set no timeline then, but noted in her new order they have been withheld more than eight months.

Attempts to reach the jurors by phone and in-person Thursday were unsuccessful.

I’ll bet attempts to reach them were unsuccessful. If I was one of those jurors and had been watching the treatment that Zimmerman, his family and anyone who failed to condemn him sufficiently have received, I’d be on my way to another state under an assumed name, if not another country. If this trial revealed anything useful about our society, it’s that there is no shortage of people who don’t feel particularly bound to the constitutional idea of trial by jury, and will endeavor to “set things to rights” if a decision doesn’t go the way they feel it should have.

George Zimmerman’s parents are suing Roseanne Barr for tweeting their home address, which they say forced them to go into hiding for years.

Robert and Gladys Zimmerman have filed a lawsuit against Barr, accusing the comedian and actress of posting “an open and obvious call for vigilante justice,” which she intended “to cause a lynch mob to descend” on their Lake Mary, Florida, home.

“It was foreseeable that the tweets would cause Robert and Gladys Zimmerman to have to flee their house in the middle of the night and never to be able to return, have to face a descent of media and others who would seek to do harm to Robert and Gladys Zimmerman and to their home, and have to live in seclusion to protect their personal and emotional well being,” the civil complaint said.

Zimmerman also has his steps haunted on a continuing basis by both activist detractors and the media, ensuring that he can never settle back into a normal life or seek regular employment. EDIT [section removed]

So what will happen to these jurors? If they’ve been following any of these stories at all – and how could they not – they’ll know that they are sharing the “blame” in the minds of many progressive, liberal activists. Now that they’ve been outed for performing their constitutional duty to the best of their ability, will they have any peace? Or will their employers be pressured to fire them and lines of angry no justice no peace types be outside their doors day and night with torches? I’m unsure how any greater good is being served by this decision, and Florida may want to rethink that law.

EDIT: (Jazz) Two lines of the original text were removed regarding the possible sale of another painting by George Zimmerman. This item was sent in from a normally reliable source, but is unconfirmed and may have been fake.

If I were one of the jurors I would be afraid for my life and my family and would be going into hiding right now. The judge who released the names has poor judgement and shouldn’t be a judge any longer, to say the least.

iirc this falls under their sunshine law and is generally 12 months
I think jurors names are a really bad idea. making transcripts and stuff available is one thing but these jurors are now in danger IMO.

that trayvon painting story looks fake. thats the same pic of him holding that first thing he did with the trayvon painting pasted on top. i hope it’s fake anyways. he cannot possibly be that clueless? maybe he is.

It’s hard enough to get people to show up to be a juror (patients regularly ask me for a medical excuse to get out of serving). Concern that you may be harassed for the rest of your life because you were part of an unpopular decision isn’t going to help at all.

(Note: I only give excuses to patients who actually have medical issues that prevent serving, which is really very few people.)

To the Left, their perverted sense of justice is everything and the rule of law means nothing. The mob will go after these jurors because they had the audacity to give an unpopular defendant the benefit of the doubt. I hope everyone one of them has already moved.

This had to be from someone in the court house and I would expect there would be an investigation. Is it possible our illustrious Department of Justice released the names of these jurors? I’m not sure how it happened, but I would demand an investigation on how it happened and the name of the person, or persons responsible to be released to the public.

The left is playing a very dangerous game and I don’t believe they’ve thought out the consequences of this game. It’s becoming more and more important for the Republicans to win this next election and stop this game before it goes too far. The left seems to believe they have the power to do anything they want, because Obama has defacto authorized it and they have the Senate and the Department of Justice. They have no clue how damaging this is to society, as a whole, and I doubt they care, because they perceive they’re winning.

I live in FL was called for jury duty last year. The city I was called to serve in is about 15 miles away and let’s just say it’s got it’s crime problems. The 2 trials for which I was interviewed were against let’s just say, not exactly upstanding citizens. During the whole voir dire, the families of these reprobates sat in the courtroom and literally stared down all the potential jurors. It was very intimidating and needless to say I made sure I was not selected. I can’t imagine what these poor people are going through.

Not really, read the whole thing.
Basically it says you do not have to hit the person in order to still claim stand your ground. If the miss scares them off, then you can still claim stand your ground. Right now the law says that if you feel threatened enough to pull a gun to defend yourself, you put yourself in jail for 10 years, if you fire and miss 20 even if you are the defender in the situation. What the current law says is that if you are threatened enough to pull a gun, that person on the other end has to die or you go to jail.

…wants me want to be a juror!…just ID me…and my address to the world…and don’t let me have a gun to protect my family…and make sure I can’t ask the police for help…”until…THEY….actually do something!”
…makes it rather idiotic to not ask for ID… just to vote in an election doesn’t it?

that trayvon painting story looks fake. thats the same pic of him holding that first thing he did with the trayvon painting pasted on top. i hope it’s fake anyways. he cannot possibly be that clueless? maybe he is.

brushingmyhair on April 5, 2014 at 7:23 PM

Thanks. Post updated for now. That link was sent in by a source who has frequently provided reliable local Florida material but I failed to check it out. I don’t see any confirmation elsewhere, so it may indeed have been a hoax. My bad. Those two lines are removed until we can find out one way or another. Thanks again for flagging that.

Look, progressives can be the most vengeful people on the planet, so I wouldn’t put it past them to make sure the juror’s names get released. On the other hand, what kind of sick a$$hole paints a picture of a kid he shot to death?

One time it’s actually nice to have Crohn’s Disease. If I was a potential juror for a case like that, I’m sure the stress would be enough to keep me confined to the bathroom often enough to get me tossed.

I am extremely tired of this kind of news. What I suggest is people take a stand. If something happens to the parents, the same will happen to Rosanne. If the jurors are harmed, the leaders of those who instigate such actions are targeted for retribution. Since there is no government agency enforcing the law, it is time for those who know right from wrong to punish the wrong.

On the other hand, what kind of sick a$$hole paints a picture of a kid he shot to death?

scalleywag on April 5, 2014 at 7:52 PM

.
Maybe he felt bad about it even though he defended himself… it could be therapeutic, if you think about it. After all, killing a person is not like swatting flies. Then again, maybe you just want to flare up and show no compassion for the entire situation.

If I were one of the jurors I would be afraid for my life and my family and would be going into hiding right now. The judge who released the names has poor judgement and shouldn’t be a judge any longer, to say the least.

Not really, read the whole thing.
Basically it says you do not have to hit the person in order to still claim stand your ground. If the miss scares them off, then you can still claim stand your ground. Right now the law says that if you feel threatened enough to pull a gun to defend yourself, you put yourself in jail for 10 years, if you fire and miss 20 even if you are the defender in the situation. What the current law says is that if you are threatened enough to pull a gun, that person on the other end has to die or you go to jail.

I thought juror identities were kept anonymous by law. Does it vary by state?

Mark1971 on April 5, 2014 at 7:13 PM

Reporters want access to information on jurors.

“And the Judicial Conference of the United States, a body that governs the federal courts, said in 2004 that “documents containing identifying information about jurors or potential jurors” should “not be included in the public case file and should not be made available to the public at the courthouse or via remote electronic access.” The policy was intended to prevent electronic access to juror identities during trial and does not prevent post-trial access to the identities, which are available in the jury management database maintained by each federal district court. But court employees appear confused about what the policy requires, very often refusing to release juror information even when it should be public under federal law. The constitutionality of the policy has not yet been litigated in the federal courts. Despite the recent popularity of anonymous juries, most federal and state appellate courts which have addressed this issue have recognized a qualified First Amendment right to juror names and addresses. (In re Disclosure of Juror Names and Addresses). The U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta (11th Cir.) called the use of anonymous juries “a drastic measure, one which should be undertaken only in limited and carefully delineated circumstances.” (U.S. v. Ross). Most federal appellate courts have decided whether to withhold juror identities based on some combination of the following five factors: (1) the defendant’s involvement in organized crime; (2) the defendant’s participation in a group with the capacity to harm jurors; (3) the defendant’s past attempts to interfere with the judicial process; (4) the potential that the defendant will get a long jail sentence or substantial fines if convicted; and (5) extensive publicity that could expose jurors to intimidation or harassment. (U.S. v. Sanchez). – See more at: http://www.rcfp.org/secret-justice-jury-records-and-proceedings/rise-anonymous-juries#sthash.DfpB03AS.dpuf

If this trial revealed anything useful about our society, it’s that there is no shortage of people who don’t feel particularly bound to the constitutional idea of trial by jury, and will endeavor to “set things to rights” if a decision doesn’t go the way they feel it should have.

Which on the one hand is inspiring because it says that there are people who care more about justice than legal process. And on the other hand is depressing, because the evidence is so overwhelming in this case that this was justifiable homicide.

These people, by law, had to be jurors! They didn’t ask for this! The state made them do it! If the freaking state had wanted to just crucify Zimmerman than why even hold the trial and call jurors! The police should’ve just declared him guilty and executed him on the spot! That’s what it seems we are headed to today!

Mob justice on anyone the left demands guilty of whatever crime they choose on any given day! Don’t think the right way? You’ll be driven out of your job and your life will be ruined! Make the wrong political donation or serve on a jury that comes to a verdict opposite of what the left wanted and you and your family will be exposed and hunted down!

This is Amerika today! And Republicans do and say nothing!

Do they want these people dragged from their homes and butchered in the streets? The mainscream media would probably say they all had it coming!

The left sickens me! They disgust me! And people on our side who want to appease them make me want to vomit! They are all nothing but a bunch of losers and liars and thieves mixed in with the insane!

They have no clue how damaging this is to society, as a whole, and I doubt they care, because they perceive they’re winning.

bflat879 on April 5, 2014 at 7:35 PM

They know exactly how damaging it is. The problem is that the non-progressives have not yet been convinced that there is a substantial number of their fellow citizens who not only want this country to fall, but in many cases actively work at making it fall.

Zimmerman’s own parents have been learning that lesson the hard way, and are now looking at having to sue television personality Roseanne Barr because of it. Wait… what?

George Zimmerman’s parents are suing Roseanne Barr for tweeting their home address, which they say forced them to go into hiding for years.

Robert and Gladys Zimmerman have filed a lawsuit against Barr, accusing the comedian and actress of posting “an open and obvious call for vigilante justice,” which she intended “to cause a lynch mob to descend” on their Lake Mary, Florida, home.

“It was foreseeable that the tweets would cause Robert and Gladys Zimmerman to have to flee their house in the middle of the night and never to be able to return, have to face a descent of media and others who would seek to do harm to Robert and Gladys Zimmerman and to their home, and have to live in seclusion to protect their personal and emotional well being,” the civil complaint said.

Kansas legislators gave final approval Saturday to a bill that would nullify city and county gun restrictions and ensure that it’s legal across the state to openly carry firearms, a measure the National Rifle Association sees as a nationwide model for stripping local officials of their gun-regulating power.

iirc this falls under their sunshine law and is generally 12 months
I think jurors names are a really bad idea. making transcripts and stuff available is one thing but these jurors are now in danger IMO.

And yet Hillary’s and Obama’s transcripts and thesis will never be released, all these years later.

Privacy is now a function of your caste in the American system.

The sad part is republicans in power will never hit back with such disclosures. We play by the rulesssss.

What’s most ironic about this whole psychotic episode of American mainstream culture war is that George Zimmerman – by his brother’s account – was an Obama man who thought it was time for people of color to be in positions of power.

By that standard he became the most hated Democrat by other Democrats.

What a stupid decision- although, if a liberal plot, it defies one scintilla of logic. First, if some revenge-seeking “homey”, who fell for the liberal line (or “lie”)that Zimmerman is a “white Hispanic”, cancels one or more of the jurors, the attendant publicity will ALL be bad for the Administration. Secondly, even if NOTHING untoward occurs, the Florida Democrat-controlled judiciary looks spiteful and revengeful. Finally, only one “useful idiot” at a time please-we have another “white Hispanic” the late Ivan Lopez of Ft. Hood, Texas that is being used at a poster boy for gun control. No distractions, please!

It’s just like the NRA! They honor their principles and don’t back down and all they ever do is win!

Truth be told.. if the right ever really got their act together and rose up and pushed back.. you would see a shift.. a sea change of opinions from politicians to major corporations would turn over night. People you thought would never come out in support of conservative principles would fight to get in front of the cameras to support the people.
You think Mozilla fears some little gay group? Well.. how about 10 million emails and phone calls and uninstalls of their browsers and see who they end up bowing to!

The conservative block is divided and broken but it is slowly, through the TEA party.. coming together. The conservative block is the true sleeping giant in America. But the conservative block in the nation just wants to mind their own business, work at their jobs, feed and care for their families and build their dreams! But once people start to realize they don’t have a choice anymore .. that getting involved and standing up and pushing back is as much a matter of survival as putting food on the table and raising their kids.. that is when it’s going to change!

See.. the thing is.. for too long this fight for freedom has not been personal enough. It’s always somebody else’s fight. It’s somebody else who lost their job. It’s somebody else who was effected. Someone’s elses kids who were harassed at school.

But when it starts to invade everyone’s home suddenly the fight is personal. That’s when the line finally gets crossed and the tipping point is reached.

There are examples from history to support this. There was a time that Hollywood was just as it is today. Movies in the 30’s were filled with sex, homosexuality and filth. But in the late 30’s churches across America signed a pledge to stop going to the movies… they cut off funding to Hollywood and Hollywood caved and pledged to not make any more movies that glamorized crime or were sexual and they stopped promoting homosexuality!

Warning shot? That is a horrible idea. That will just confuse self-defense cases even further. When feral animals like Trayvon Martin need to be put down, a warning shot won’t do the job. Murphy9 on April 5, 2014 at 7:37 PM

It’d be awesome if Zimmerman was chased by racist vigilantes out to kill him and he shoots them too. I’d love it, I hope he got his gun back and I’m glad Trayvon got what he deserved. More of these thugs should get the same along with their communities that fosters these animals.

This was an insane move by the judge. Debra Nelson must be an evil person if she doesn’t see that this will do real harm to those jurors who, after all, were merely doing their civic duty. And it just isn’t the jurors themselves but their entire families now in danger thanks to Judge Nelson. May she rot in hell for her actions.

Now that they’ve been outed for performing their constitutional duty to the best of their ability, will they have any peace? Or will their employers be pressured to fire them and lines of angry no justice no peace types be outside their doors day and night with torches?

I’m expecting some of them to get fired for starters.

This was an insane move by the judge. Debra Nelson must be an evil person if she doesn’t see that this will do real harm to those jurors who, after all, were merely doing their civic duty. And it just isn’t the jurors themselves but their entire families now in danger thanks to Judge Nelson. May she rot in hell for her actions.

Happy Nomad on April 6, 2014 at 7:26 AM

She’s probably a leftist that knew exactly what she was doing. If there are reports of violence and harassment against these jurors, she will be smiling.

First, if some revenge-seeking “homey”, who fell for the liberal line (or “lie”)that Zimmerman is a “white Hispanic”, cancels one or more of the jurors, the attendant publicity will ALL be bad for the Administration. Secondly, even if NOTHING untoward occurs, the Florida Democrat-controlled judiciary looks spiteful and revengeful. Finally, only one “useful idiot” at a time please-we have another “white Hispanic” the late Ivan Lopez of Ft. Hood, Texas that is being used at a poster boy for gun control. No distractions, please!

MaiDee on April 5, 2014 at 9:40 PM

No, this is a very smart move if you’re a leftist trying to create a climate of fear. This is not dissimilar to the tactics dictators use. The only thing keeping the DoJ from hauling these jurors off to jail or having them shot is they lack enough political power to do it yet.

I’m no legal expert. That being said, if I was ever called to jury duty in Florida, I would refuse.

“I won’t be able to fairly and impartially hear this case, Judge; I’m too worried that what I decide will be used as an excuse to harm me or my Family, once the media releases my personal information to the public…which is full of douch-nozzle morons.”

Then walk to a coffee shop, and head back to work…anonymously as you want.

In fact, I think I’ll use that here in Colorado as well…that any lawyer, citing Florida law, could get a similar ruling in this State, if they get a sympathetic judge.

When politicians talk about “openness” and “transparency” they mean for the Proles.

I envision the day when you’ll have to have your bank account information publicly available 24-7 online because you might be a terrorist or a crook and folks have a right to know. Congress, state legislators, billionaires, and the various other elected officials and GS higher ups will be exempt, though-in the interest of National Security.